The first prototype images of the Star Trek 2009 movie "Barbie" line from Mattel Toys have surfaced at international online retailers this week. In fact, these images are the very first images of any toy from the 2009 feature film. Trekmovie.com provides the details and historical context of the Barbie Trek connection.

2009 Star Trek Barbie Collectors Dolls

The 2009 Star Trek themed Barbie Collectors line will include approximately 12" versions of James T. Kirk, Spock, and Uhura. In keeping with the Barbie line’s recent "popular culture" licensed items, the costumes are very detailed and the sculpts feature excellent likenesses of Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldana. Accessories include a phaser and communicator. These will be available in April of 2009, and should retail for about $45 each.

Preorders are beginning at some doll collectible websites now, such as Cheryl’s Dolls.

And remember these figures are in addition to Star Trek movie line from Playmates, which will include 3.75", 6" and 12" figures [see previous TrekMovie story].

A Barbie Tradition
During the previous decade, Mattel has expanded the Barbie line to include popular culture dolls. These items feature the likenesses of the characters from the film or television show they represent, yet are packaged in the Barbie style, are in the Barbie size, and are compatible with other Barbie clothing and playsets. A good example is the 2006 Superman Returns line which featured an incredibly good likeness of Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane.

‘Superman Returns’ Lois Barbie – click to enlarge

Past Star Trek Barbie
To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Star Trek in 1996, Mattel released a Barbie and Ken Star Trek themed collectible set. Unlike the new popular culture line which feature the likenesses of the actors and actresses, this set features Barbie and Ken themselves dressed as Original Series characters. Mattel also released a Barbie and Ken Star Trek watch at the same time. The doll set was ubiquitous, at every retailer imaginable, and today can be purchased from secondary sources and auction for about their original price of $40.

1996 Star Trek Barbie and Ken set

The Barbie Phenomenon
2009 is not only the year of Trek for Star Trek fans, it is also the 50th Anniversary of Barbie herself. The Barbie popular culture line only takes on iconic and enduring characters and entertainment (Wizard of Oz, Disney, Grease, DC Comics) and it is nice that Star Trek is being included in such venerable company. Also, Barbie and Mattel have a presence in almost every toy and retail store. In 2009, products like the Star Trek Barbie line could help to get Star Trek back into the mainstream where it belongs. Also, the Barbie line, like PEZ dispensers, represent an item that has its own collector’s base and as such might help to recruit some new fans to Star Trek. The Barbie collector and the Star Trek collector could both have an interest in the item.

More Star Trek from Mattel in 2009
Barbie isn’t the only Mattel items next year for Star Trek. Available this January is the 20Q Star Trek edition trivia game. This March, the Mattel Tyco line has radio controlled versions of the USS Enterprise and Klingon Bird of Prey as featured in the original movies. Then, Mattel has its Scene It? Star Trek DVD game available this April. TrekMovie will be doing follow-up previews of these new Mattel items.

Wow! These dolls look great! i sure hope that Mattel goes through with these and doesnt cancel them as they did several other dolls in the past !
Playmates is also coming out with 12 inch dolls from the movie also!

Tuber, these are Barbie dolls…so it is a no brainer that they need to have Kirk Spock and a girl doll…hence Uhura. Dont read too much into it. But if you want to obsess about figures, then bear in mind that There will be Kirk, Spock and McCoy 12″ figures from Playmates…and no Uhura.

Was never a hugh fan of TOS uniforms. I know I am in the minority in this matter–way, way in the minority. Still think they are too colorful, tacky and look more like underwear than uniforms. The less said about the boots and short skirts the better. I wished they would have designed uniforms that slightly captured the look of the old uniforms–assuming that was necessary–but given them a different, contemporary and creative feel and presentation.

Looking at these reminds me of something that’s been bugging me: the women’s uniforms in AbramsTrek. Sure, I love a nice bare female arm as much as anyone, but where the heck are their rank insignia?

Why the short sleeves, Bob Orci? (if you’re on this thread…) Why the lack of rank for women? Seems…well, terribly sexist. The men get sleeves and insignia, but the women are just eye candy?! Even TOS had sleeves and ranks for the women.

Not a deal-breaker issue, of course–I’m not boycotting the film over sleeves!–but it bugs me.

I wish the first picture were larger. Strange that the male necks are so long, but the sample costumes look absolutely spot-on to the published movie images. Amazing!
As for the critics here dissing Barbie, can you imagine the contempt some Barbie collectors may feel about ‘action figures?’ :-D

Even these dolls give me confidence in the care being put into this movie.

I figure “Captain Kirk” and “Lieutenant Uhura” on the boxes refers to their eventual TOS ranks. We know Kirk’s a cadet for much of the movie, and Uhura can’t be stuck at Lieutenant forever. Perhaps Spock is too iconic to clutter with a rank.

I purchased the Star Trek Barbie and Ken back in ’96. The first thing I learned about collecting is to never buy anything that says “collector’s edition”, because that’s code for “we made so many they’re never be worth very much”. And here it is, 12 years later, and they’re still not worth any more than their original purchase price. That means I could have gotten a better return by putting my money in a savings account earning 1/2 percent a year. :-(

I can’t wait for all the new products. I did a survey for CBS consumer products at Star Trek: The Experience during the 08 convention where they showed some of the products and they gave me a goodie bag that had a playing piece for Scene It a Tribble and some books.

Wow can you imagine what is going on in Kirk’s mind when Yeoman Barbie enters the bridge. I’m just saying. . .
Then again I guess Scotty and Apollo got the most Barbiesque of the female crew: Carolyn Palamas. She even the Greek Barbie dream gown. All right back to work.

I agree with another reviewer—-this little Barbie doll promo brings up an excellent issue—-are we going to be seeing a future where women are second class citizens /officers in red miniskirts? We can’t even see their rank in sleeveless shirts. Or can we? I’ll reserve judgment (since the trailer looks awesome) but hope that those close to the director can get him to make sure that women in the world of Star Trek don’t take a giant step backward after Captain Janeway. If you have to reshoot Uhura in long sleeves and slacks—make it so.

May I remind that in WNHMHGB, there was no McCoy! What was the “trinity” there? :) Kirk-Spock-Mitchell? Kirk-Spock-Piper? No way.

I think that if you look closely at the Starfleet deltas in the short sleeve unis among the pictures released, there seems to be some subtle changes that might indicate rank, in the same manner as the TMP shoulder epaulet. At least in some pictures it looks that way.

To those complaining of sexism, TOS may have been based in the future but was created in the sexist 60s.

My suspicion is that Uhura will be portrayed as an even stronger, smarter female type than the original character and, as a feminist, I welcome it.

TOS sexist? Barbie sexist? No surprise but betting despite canon that ST SI will present an empowered Uhura that will not be limited by sex appeal. Spock always was sexy as hell but it didnt diminish him..

25 – TOS unis and other costumes were that colorful because back in 1966 NBC was promoting the fact they were the first all-color network. They splashed color around the set every chance they could with colored floodlights, different colored skies on planets etc. I think it adds to the charm of the show.

The Barbie Spock has full Commander stripes. He was a Lt. Commander for part of TOS… where’s all the furor over that inaccuracy?

I’m just kiddin’ people… too much is being groused about here anymore. They’re just dolls, for Sarek’s sake. If you like them, buy them. If not, don’t.

#75 the Dustbuster Phaser was designed with multiple species in mind. The prop guys were told that not all Federation members were humanoid, so that is what they came up with. I never liked them either, but I don’t shoot with a tentacle or frond :-)

24. Daoud stated:
Now I’m wondering if changing from the original TOS gold shield and rank insignia to the new ST09 silver turns out to be a way of describing the timelines…
Shatner-Kirk is TOS-Gold… Pine-Kirk is TOS-Silver.
———————-

I like that!

To Jorg:
Ah, I see the rationale for the design but give me a pistol any day. ;)

Right on brother! I’ve been saying that since the first promo pics. With the short skirt and no sleeves, they’ve maximized skin. Granted the collar is higher than TOS, but it’s not like they showed any cleavage anyway, so they’re not losing much. Looks like a frackin’ Christmas cocktail dress.

The first thing I noticed is how do you tell the rank? Clearly, rank is unimportant for women since they are on the ship merely as sex objects and glorified space operators. Perhaps women are all ensigns in this era and only get pants once they make Lt. Cmdr. or better. Seriously if you are going to mix up the crews of these ships before they were meant to be together, why not bring Number One back? Why not put a female in charge of something, especially if you are going to dress them this way!

The point about the rank is a good one that escaped me. Hopefully there will be some shortsleeved men’s shirts to to at least spread this “ranklessness” to all the sexes. If they wanted to do a sleeveless they could have always done rank like Kirk’s green wraparound–rank near the shoulders and collar. Oh well, hope it doesn’t end up to be women only.

I got my niece her first Barbie doll this Christmas. She may just have to have one of these Star Trek jobbies in her Easter basket.

The main thing that concerns me about the ST09 female uniforms is this:

If it’s cold enough for the men to have long sleeves, aren’t the women going to be chilly? Do they have an optional space cardigan they can hang on the back of their space chair?

On the flip side, if it’s warm enough for the women to wear short sleeves, aren’t the men going to cook in long ones?

As a good Trekkie who can explain away anything, I should be telling myself that the uniforms are made out of special space fabric that somehow helps the body adjust to cabin temperature regardless of cut. But if that’s the case, then having two different sleeve cuts seems like a lot of effort for nothing.

For those complaining about no rank on Uhura, I might add that Chekov has no rnak insignia either.

As for the skirts, do these people complain when Brad Pitt and Co wore short little “skirts” in Troy?

Hopefully by the 23rd century women can serve on spaceships and look feminine, as well as being called miss or ma’am.

I think it is more sexist that a woman if she wants to serve in Starfleet has to dress like a male and be called mr and sir. Basically they are saying you can only join us if you become one of the boys.

>>I think it is more sexist that a woman if she wants to serve in Starfleet has to dress like a male and be called mr and sir. Basically they are saying you can only join us if you become one of the boys.<<

Nonsense – trousers and a jacket had become a Ivery practical) gender-neutral costume by the 20th century; why shouldn’t it continue to be such in the 24th? And using “Mr.” and “Sir” is simply the most practical way to be gender-blind without inventing new words.

I am definitely buying these dolls, when they come out, as well as the DC Comics Barbie dolls (Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Black Canary). I’ve already got Skpper as Velma from Scooby-Doo, so these would really add to my set

Today, I went to the beach front with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She placed the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is entirely off topic but I had to tell someone!